Lowering the Drinking Age
When an American turns eighteen they are given all the rights of a legal adult except one: drinking. The age to drink legally in the United States is twenty-one which prohibits a group of adults from purchasing or consuming alcohol. As a nation, prohibition legislation has been tried twice in the past for controlling irresponsible drinking problems, during the National Prohibition in the 1920's and state prohibition in 1850's. Because they were unenforceable and because the backlash towards them caused other social problems, these laws were finally repealed. Prohibition did not work then and prohibition for young people under the age of twenty-one is not working now. The drinking age should be lowered to eighteen because that is the age of a legal adult, it is not constitutionally correct to set the drinking age at the federal level, and because it will cut the numbers in binge drinking. At age eighteen the government feels that you are responsible enough to vote, serv
They deserve to be granted all rights of an adult when they turn eighteen because they are held responsible as an adult. In 1984 congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. For example, 22% of all students under twenty-one are heavy drinkers compared to 18% of students over twenty-one years of age. It behooves us as a nation to change our current prohibition law and to teach responsible drinking techniques for those who chose to consume alcoholic beverages. Lowering the age will also teach moderation and responsibility in drinking because to young adults the excitement will be lost. It is evident that for the sake of our young adults the drinking age should be lowered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. Right now when minors have the opportunity to drink, they do it irresponsibly and often recklessly because it is seen as an enticing "forbidden fruit," a "badge of rebellion against authority" and a symbol of "adulthood. If the government feels eighteen year olds are responsible enough to make these important life decisions, then they should show confidence for young adults to act mature when it comes to drinking. With all of the responsibilities and privileges that minors have, it is unfathomable why they should not be aloud to drink. Among drinkers only, 32% of under age are heavy drinkers compared to 24% of legal age. Those under twenty-one are more like to be "binge" drinkers, consuming more than five drinks a night at least once a week. The twenty-one year old drinking age law is not working, and is counterproductive. The federal government should use such a heavy influence to persuade the individual state's decision on the legal age to drink. This is all because the thrill of breaking the law is gone when they turn twenty-one.
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